Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (Walt Disney World)
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is an enclosed steel roller coaster ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort. The attraction opened on July 29, 1999 and is located at the end of Sunset Boulevard, next to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction. The coaster accelerates from 0 to 57 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds (making this the second-fastest attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort, behind only Test Track). The riders experience 4.5g (44 m/s2) as they enter the first inversion, more than an astronaut does on a space shuttle launch. The attraction features five trains, although only four can run at one time. The remaining train is kept in backup while being serviced (each train is rotated out periodically for safety reasons). History Cast Member previews for the ride were initially held the last week of June, 1999. On July 29 1999, the ride officially opened with a special, invitation-only party, with Aerosmith as the guests of honor. Winners rode to Disney's Hollywood Studios in stretch limousines and were treated to an all-you-can-eat buffet and bar. After a special performance by painter Denny Dent, winners got the chance to ride the roller coaster with one of the Aerosmith band members. At the exit of the ride, outside of the gift shop, there hangs a picture from the special event. The paintings Denny Dent made of the five band members hang in various employee office locations on Walt Disney World property. The pre-show has changed from when the attraction first opened. Originally, band member Joe Perry would ask "Chris" to "grab my black Les Paul." A Disney Cast Member in the pre-show area would then pick up and remove a black guitar signed by Joe Perry from the set. The script uses the unisex name "Chris" so either a male or female could play the part. Although not used as often as when the ride first opened, the position is still used from time to time (generally, if the attraction is overstaffed). The film also includes a roadie saying "Hey Joe, I'll get it for ya" as a backup, in the event that a cast member is not available for the part. In 2007, the queue was modified to accommodate single riders in addition to Fastpass. Attraction Description After winding through a shaded outdoor queue, guests enter the offices and recording studios of record label G-Force Records (a 68,131 sq ft (6,329.6 m2) building), whose lobby is decorated with posters of real acts signed to labels owned by the Walt Disney Company. Next, guests are led into a room looking into the recording studio, where the five members of Aerosmith are shown finishing a recording session. The group's manager, portrayed by Illeana Douglas, enters and informs them that they're late for a concert. Lead singer Steven Tyler expresses regret at being forced to leave the band's fans and requests backstage passes for the entire group. The band then departs by limousine to "the Forum" (a reference to a famous Los Angeles concert venue). The harried manager summons a "super stretch" limo, to carry guests to the concert and directs them outside. The pacing of the film is such that there is brief pause between the time that the band mentions to their manager that they should do something for their fans and Steven Tyler agreeing. The interval of time is just long enough that the line "How about some backstage passes" can be shouted from the audience (often by the Cast Member who is acting as the tour's "host"), making it appear that the band takes the suggestion, which is also echoed by a band mate. Steven Tyler's next line is "Wait a minute, I love that idea. How about some backstage passes?" Guests exit the recording studio and pass through an alley into a parking garage, owned by "Lock 'n' Roll Parking Systems." In here, guests waiting in line can see the ride's launch and sharp-eyed guests can spot the curtains in above "apartment windows" sway from the "force" caused by the launch. Guests then board a waiting 24 seat stretch limo for the trip across town to the concert. After loading passengers, the "limo" stops at the entrance to a tunnel. Music is playing and an overhead variable message sign displays a series of several different messages until a countdown. After the countdown, the car is then shot into the tunnel at 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), and the souvenir photo is taken. The roller coaster goes through two inversions, two of which are roll-overs and one of which is a corkscrew on a winding track, intended to represent various Los Angeles Area Freeways, including Interstate 5, Interstate 10, and U.S. Route 101, as evident by the street signs that periodically appear on the side of the coaster. The attraction ends when the limo arrives at Aerosmith's concert backstage, letting guests off onto a red carpet. While considered "extreme," Rock 'n' Roller Coaster has been described by roller coaster enthusiasts as being smoother, less jerky, and less uncomfortable than some similar extreme roller coasters. As of July 2008, Hanes is the attraction's presenting sponsor. Soundtrack There are five speakers per seat, a total of 120 per limo. Aerosmith worked with Disney Imagineers to produce a special soundtrack for the roller coaster. Each coaster train features different Aerosmith songs. The songs heard to each ride contain some new lyrics written specifically for the attraction. (Love in an Elevator is sung as "Love in a roller coaster," for example.) Songs heard on each car: *1QKLIMO: "Nine Lives" *UGOBABE: "Love in an Elevator" & "Walk This Way" (Formally UGOGIRL Pre-2004 Refurbishment) *BUHBYE: "Young Lust", "F.I.N.E.*" & "Love in an Elevator" *H8TRFFC: "Back in the Saddle" & "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" *2FAST4U: "Sweet Emotion"(live) There is a sixth limo in the fleet of ride vehicles of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. This vehicle is without a license plate, and is always "in refurbishment." The vehicles are rotated in and out of use after a period of many thousands of laps around the track. However, the maintenance teams will switch out the plate and add the proper song to the new vehicle every time a rotation is made. The ride formerly featured Uncle Joe Benson, a well-known Los Angeles, CA rock radio DJ, as the station's DJ. Currently, Bill Hart (known as Bill St. James), the host of ABC Radio's "Flashback," provides the voice for the DJ of "LA's Classic Rock Station." Hidden Mickeys *One in the pre-show, on a small chalkboard in the bottom right corner of the sound room. (This one was made by a Cast Member and changes at times.) *One in the pre-show on the ground, formed by three coils of wire. *One in place of each "Expiration Date" for the license plates on the limos. *Many on the floor in Studio C, hidden in the carpet pattern. *Two on the ride track itself--one found on a yellow sign behind a red limo, one on the ground in a cityscape area. *Two in the tile mosaic in the rotunda before the recording studio near the marble doors. *One in the post-show area to the right as one enters the area. *Many on Steven Tyler's shirt on the poster outside. *One on Joe Perry's medallion on the outside poster. Incidents On June 29, 2006, a 12-year-old boy visiting from Fort Campbell, Kentucky was found to be unresponsive after the ride came to an end. Though his father administered CPR until paramedics arrived, he was declared dead en route to the hospital. The ride was shut down for the investigation and reopened a day later after inspectors determined that the ride was operating normally. The victim had died as a result of a congenital heart defect. Sources & External Links *Wikipedia *Official website Category:Attractions Category:Walt Disney World attractions Category:Disney's Hollywood Studios attractions Category:Roller coasters Category:FastPass attractions